Feb 04, 2018 | GeoffRead | 492 views
Hawks' Chances of Making the Semifinals Hang by a Thread after 3-0 Loss to Bandits
The Hawks' GLMHA losing streak reached four games today as they fought gamely but dropped a 3-0 decision to the Bandits A6 at Nichols Arena. Goalie Brendan Walsh gave his teammates a chance, holding the Bandits to 1-0 until partway through the third when the Bandits potted their second marker of the game, but despite some glorious chances the Hawks' failure to find the back of the net proved fatal in this match.
The first period was relatively even with the Bandits scoring on their second shift of the game. But in the second period, the Hawks poured it on, aided by a power play when a Bandits' defender went off for tripping. Owen Worby rang a shot off the post; Matt Hodgins rushed down the ice and clanged the iron and also missed on a one-timer from the; Callum Knapp hit the inside of the post and then just failed to convert his own rebound; and Cole Chick had perhaps the best chance of the night with a yawning cage in front of him off a rebound from a Worby shot, but he was thwarted at the last second by the Bandits steady female defender who came across, knocked the puck off Chick's stick, and knocked him over for good measure.
By the third period, the Hawks seemed to be a little frustrated, and it showed on the ice as their forecheck lost some of its momentum. Perhaps too the Hawks got a little tired as the game wore on as they were down a forward with Zach Read sitting out due to the flu that had him under the weather when he played net the weekend before.
Still, despite the loss, the Hawks did some good things in this game. As the game went on, for example, they were moving the puck through the neutral zone much more effectively, head-manning the puck to the open player, something the team has struggled to do at times this year. Defensively, as well, despite a fairly bad letdown on the second goal, the Hawks played a pretty tight game. The third goal was on an open net and several Hawks were kicking themselves after they tried to be a little too fancy before breaking out of the zone.
The Hawks will have to now win 6 games in a row if they want to make the semifinals - a tall order.
Go Hawks go!